The Way we Once Were
by SweetSugarStand
Summary: For someone who isn't into Drama Sasuke certainly got himself into a pickle this time. Just as he's beginning to move on an old love resurfaces and forces him to make a tough decision. One way or another someone is going to get hurt. If straightening out his love life wasn't hard enough, danger brews in Konoha where our heroes find themselves thrown into the center. AU, HS.
1. The way things are now

**Wow I'm still writing... after a very long break I decided to take a shot at some new muse I've been sitting on. I've been working on this for a couple days and all I can say is I hope it's good! I may go back and pick up my other smut-filled story at some point but I can't promise when**

 **This story will actually have a very strong plot! I know OCs get s lot of bad rep, but hopefully you all don't hate mine. This story starts as SasuSaku (in a way) but it will transition over to SasuOc. There will be violence and drama and lemons (though less frequent and more tastefully sprinkled about).**

 **Well, I'm not really one for giving everything away, so please continue to read if this suits your fancy! I love getting feedback on my readers thoughts so let me know how I'm doing (huge thanks to EVERYONE that commented, faved, and maybe even is still holding out for my other story. I'll try and do something more with it 😅)**

 **~Sweetsugarstand**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

Sluuuurp. Sllluusluuuurp

Sasuke closed his eyes, leaning back in his stool at Ichiraku Ramen as his blonde haired friend swallowed his second bowl of ramen. He had a cold glass of ice water only. They were waiting for Sakura to finish shopping in a store with her friends, Hinata and Ino. Why they had to drag them along too was beyond him. There were three of them, couldn't they just go together? It's not like he or Naruto ever went into the shops to watch them compare different shoes and blouses for hours on end.

He could be at home, doing absolutely anything other than this.

"Well, at least we got lunch out of it!" Naruto exclaimed, face full of broth as he put his spotless bowl back on the counter. Sasuke handed him a napkin.

"Wipe your face you slob."

Naruto grabbed it with a sneer and muttered something that sounded like 'asshole' under his breath. He thanked Mr. Ichiraku before hopping off his stool and stretching his stomach. "Ah... that was good. Lets go you bastard."

Sasuke drained the last of his water and slid out from the stool after Naruto. He let the blonde lead the way, not particularly caring where they went until he saw Naruto was leading them into Kureations, the women's beauty store where pink, blonde, and navy blue heads bobbled between the aisles. Ugh…Did they have to?

Naruto strolled inside, so apparently they did. They reached the girls. Ino was holding a... what looked like a package of some kind up to Hinata's face. Sasuke didn't know the names of the crazy contraptions women used to make themselves look prettier than normal.

"Oh this would just be an adorable color on you!" Ino exclaimed. "We can match it with that foundation and blend it with this..."

Sasuke stopped listening and was about ready to walk away when he suddenly found a rather heavy bundle of bags shoved into his arms. "Sasuke-kun, hold this, please!" Sakura exclaimed before she vanished around the corner. She came back holding some sort of hair piece and started making suggestions on how Hinata could clip up her long dark blue hair.

And he became the shelf. Sighing, Sasuke adjusted the bags into a more comfortable position to carry. No wonder Sakura had some muscles on her. He had four bags in each hand and they were shoved full of kami-sama only knows what to make them so heavy.

"Oh that's perfect!" Ino gasped.

Naruto leaned toward Sasuke. "What are they going on about...?" He asked as the girls giggled about something foreign to them. Sasuke shrugged. This was why he usually waited outside. He didn't understand their strange behavior, nor did he care much for it. Sasuke was almost happy when Naruto spoke up. "Ugh, are you guys almost done yet? How much longer is this going to take. We're supposed to go to the movies aren't we?" At this rate they would be lucky if there was even a showing left.

"Don't rush us, Naruto!" Sakura whirled around on him with a stern finger pointed beneath his nose. "We have to get ready for Ino's party next weekend." She paused and looked him over from head to toe. Naruto wasn't ugly, but he wasn't exactly what most of the girls in school considered to be 'eye-candy' either. He wore loose ripped blue jeans with grass stains and a few oil spots from their tech class, a black t-shirt beneath an orange and white plaid shirt, and a pair of orange sneakers. "You could use a little help getting ready too...do you even have pants that haven't been through the lawnmower yet?"

Naruto frowned, crossing his arms. "Yes."

"Then wear those for once! Make yourself look nice. Geeze," Sakura huffed. Appearance was apparently everything to the female mind.

Ino smirked from behind Hinata while the shy girls face turned a light pink. She held a basket in her hands full of beauty products. She whispered something to Ino, so soft Sasuke couldn't hear it from where he stood, but both their eyes flickered to Naruto and back. Hinata's blush grew. "Fine then," Ino sighed. "Naruto, why don't you and Sasuke go ahead and save us seats? We're almost done in here anyway."

After a short debate, Sasuke and Naruto left the beauty store and headed toward the theater. It was a good thing too. When they arrived the theater was already half full, but they were able to snag five seats in the middle row.

"Man," Naruto grumbled, sitting beside Sasuke for now. "Why do girls have to be so hung up on their appearance?"

Beat him. Sasuke was none the wiser to the female mind. "I don't usually pay any attention."

Naruto slouched back in his seat, arms crossed behind his head. "Yeah, but you're lucky you got Sakura. She's one of the prettiest girls in our year. She's beautiful with or without makeup." It was a well known fact that Naruto had a crush on Sakura since grade school. There was a heavy bitterness when Sasuke had finally agreed to go out with her their junior year, but he gradually came around to accept it. The blonde and pinkette had gone to the same schools since elementary, while it wasn't until their freshmen year of high school that Sasuke went the same school as them. Of course, as soon as he transferred in he caught the eye of many girls, Sakura included.

He found Sakura to be head and shoulders less annoying than some of the other girls pinning for his affections. She was incredibly smart, coming in second place in their class, right behind Nara Shikamaru. Perhaps she had moments where she could be a bit bossy and controlling, but overall she was a kind hearted girl with a lot of spunk. Her ambition, Sasuke learned a few months ago, was to become a nurse and work for Konoha General Hospital.

Still, Sasuke couldn't really consider himself lucky. If he was lucky, then _she_ would have never left… Sasuke felt a bitter remorse crawl up the back of his throat and he quickly swallowed it back down as he reminded himself that it wasn't _her_ fault and he promised himself he wouldn't dwell on it anymore. It had been three years now, after all…

"Naruto, scoot over! You sit on the end."

"Eh? Why do I have to sit on the end?"

"Because…"

Sasuke broke out of his thoughts and realized that the girls had finally finished their shopping spree and joined them. Sakura was trying to get Naruto to switch spots with her and sit at the very end beside Hinata. The poor girl… she had her work cut out for her. Naruto was probably the densest person that Sasuke had ever met. Hell would freeze over before Naruto realized the shy girl had probably the worlds biggest crush on him.

Sakura had confessed to him that it was her and Ino's personal mission to get Naruto and Hinata together before the end of the school year. For that, Sasuke wished them all the luck in the world.

Finally, Naruto caved and gave up his seat. Sakura slid in beside Sasuke, muttering, "Honestly…he's so thick sometimes." Ino sat beside her, followed by Hinata, and finally Naruto took his seat on the end.

Deciding to be a good boyfriend for once, Sasuke slid his arm around Sakura's shoulders. The corners of his lips twitched up ever so slightly. At the very least, he could appreciate her efforts. "Just keep trying. You'll get through to him eventually."

Those simple words seemed to make all the difference to her. Sakura's face lit up instantly and she nuzzled her head into his shoulder. Sasuke turned his gaze to the movie screen as the lights dimmed and the previews started to avoid looking at Sakura's enamored smile. He tried to ignore the inexplicable feeling of guilt that filled his gut every time she gave him that look because he knew he couldn't quite return her affections the way he should yet. His heart was silently torn in two, but gradually over the months she had started to patch up his broken heart.

Sasuke could safely say that he felt _something_ for the young woman curled in his shoulder, but he wasn't sure what to call it yet.

—-

"I'm home…" Sasuke called. He kicked his shoes off at the front door and let it fall closed behind him. The air smelt like…tonkatsu. He let his nose lead him to the kitchen where he found his mother, Mikoto, humming softly to herself as she steamed some fresh vegetables over the stove top. "Smells good. Are Nii-san and Tou-san home yet?"

Mikoto smiled over her shoulder at her youngest son. "Welcome home, sweetie. They should be home soon. Your father called to tell me that they got a last minute call right before they left…"

Ah… There wasn't much they could do about that then. Sasuke's father, Fugaku, was the chief of the Konoha police department. His brother was an officer working closely under him to take over when their father finally retired. Next year, after graduation, Sasuke planned to join the force himself.

"How were the movies with your friends?"

Sasuke shrugged. He took out some plates and utensils to start setting the table. "It was alright. I didn't care for the movie, but they all wanted to see it."

Mikoto glanced at her son. "How is Sakura-chan? You haven't brought her around in a while." At first, Mikoto was a little surprised when Sasuke had told them about his new girlfriend. She found her to be a sweet girl with good manners and a noble ambition, but it wasn't the girl that had her worried. She was more concerned that her son, unknowingly, was using this relationship to fill the void that had been left when Kokoro-chan and her family left three years ago.

"She's good," Sasuke replied casually. He paused, realizing his mother was right. Most of their summer break was spent hanging out with their friends at group functions and he hadn't bothered to actually invite her over. She hadn't asked and he didn't think to offer it. Should he invite her for dinner soon…? It would probably make her happy if he did.

Mikoto turned the stove off and emptied the vegetables into a bowl. She removed the panic crusted pork from the oven and started to portion out their meals. "Sasuke…There's something I need to tell you. I received a phone call today…" Mikoto hesitated, wondering how he would take the news.

Sasuke paused his search in the fridge for beverages and looked up at his mother. A call…? Did he sense worry in her voice? "What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing's wrong," Mikoto replied quickly. "It's just…" She didn't get to finish her sentence. The front door rattled, making her jump. "Oh no, did the door lock behind you?"

Sasuke closed the fridge. "I'll get it." He hustled out in to the foyer and unlocked the door for his father and brother. The two men walked in carrying arms full of files from the office. Fugaku looked raggedly tired. "Need a hand?" Sasuke offered, taking them from his father. His job was long and stressful and the years were taking their toll on him.

"Thank you," Fukagu sighed. He kicked his dress shoes off and pulled off his windbreaker that read POLICE along the shoulders. "Smells good in here." He made his way into the kitchen where his muffled voice could be heard greeting his wife.

Sasuke and Itachi walked the paper work into the office to be tended to at a later time. "It'll be a huge help when you join the force, little brother," Itachi said. He flopped the folders on the desk with a heavy thud. "Then you can drown in paperwork and signatures with us."

"Can't wait." Sasuke slid his own stack onto the desk. "Come on, dinner is waiting."

Together they walked into the kitchen where their mother and father were waiting with the dinner set. For the next hour they ate and talked about their day. Tomorrow was the first day of Sasuke's senior year of high school, so after dinner he helped clean up and kissed his mother on the cheek. He bid his family a good night and retired to his room without ever hearing the news his mother had forgotten to resume telling him.

* * *

 **Chapter 1 End!**


	2. Surprise!

**The next chapter has arrived! This one isn't too long. Throughout the story I'll be switching between critical point of views including Sasuke, Sakura, and my OC, and other minor Character POVs. This chapter isn't too long, but I'm also almost done with chapter three which has got a pretty hefty amount of content. I hope you're all enjoying my story and stick around for more! Let me know you're thoughts! I love to hear feedback from my readers.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

"Koi! Come on, we're going to be late."

Kage Kokoro stood at the front door wearing a brand new Konoha High uniform: a green pleated skirt with black knee high socks, black loafers, and a white button down shirt with the school symbol on the sleeve. A green tie hung loosely around her neck. Her long, dark hair that reflected the amethyst color of her eyes brushed against her waist. A moon clip with hanging moonstone droplets pinned her hair in a half up half down.

The sound of small feet could be heard padding down the hall way before a young boy, ten years her junior came into view. Her baby brother wore a similar uniform for Konoha elementary school. His white pull over shirt had a green sailor collar with a tie and the same school insignia on his sleeve. He wore black slacks and a pair of dress shoes. He was undoubtably going to be tall like their father and older brother. At eight years old, Koi was already almost as tall as her — though she wasn't impressively tall to begin with. Kokoro took after their mother and had stopped growing when she reached five foot one. Her oldest brother, Dai, took after their father and was a couple inches over six feet tall, while their father towered over them all at six and a half feet.

Nervousness was evident on Koi's face as he shoved his shoes on and fumbled with his backpack. "Okay," he breathed, "I'm ready!" This would be his first time attending a public school. He was five when their family left Konoha and due to the nature of their travels it would have been impossible for her or Koi to attend regular school. Instead, they were both homeschooled by their mother for the last three years.

Kokoro offered her brother an encouraging smile and led the way to their respective schools. When she was younger, she had gone to a different school than Koi, but she tried to ease his nerves by telling him what she remembered as they walked. The walk filled her with nostalgia, remembering the days when she used to walk to school every morning with her boyfriend, the fun she used to have running down these very streets with her friends, the willow down by the water's edge... a blush dusted her cheeks and her stomach did a couple excited and anxious flips. Her family had just returned Saturday afternoon and yesterday her mom had called their long time family friends, the Uchiha's. She had hoped to talk to Sasuke, but apparently he had been out with friends all day so she missed the chance, but Mikoto confirmed they would be attending the same school together. It had been three long years since she spoke to him last. She wrung her hands behind her back, wondering if he was just as excited to see her as she was him.

"Nee-Chan...Ko-nee," Koi called. He jabbed his pointer and middle fingers into her side, effectively making her jump and capturing her attention. "Why are you grinning and blushing so much? Are you really that excited for school."

Kokoro pressed a palm to her cheek, feeling the warmth it radiated. She supposed she was a bit red in the face, wasn't she? "No reason," Kokoro said, but she couldn't hide her smile. "It's been a long time since I've been home... I'm just excited to see everything again."

"Everything...like Sasuke?" He teased knowingly. He remembered Sasuke, of course: he knew him almost his whole life! He also knew of their affections and Kokoro wasn't all that difficult to read.

Her blush deepened. "Well...perhaps," she muttered, unable to deny it.

The elementary school came into view up ahead and Kokoro was glad for the distraction. "Look, there it is!" She places a hand on Koi's shoulder and stopped at the gates. "My school is just down the road that way. I'll come by and pick you up after school and we can walk home together." Maybe she'd find some time this week to take Koi on a proper adventure around the town. She planted a kiss on his cheek, which was quickly wiped away with complaints of 'gross! Not in public!' Giggling, she watched him find his way before leaving to make it to her own school on time.

The first bell tolled as soon as Kokoro stepped through the gates. Students bustled across the cobble walkways chattering excitedly and catching up with friends they hadn't seen all summer before the second bell rang to summon them their classrooms. Large groups of students crowded around the class board to see what room they had been assigned to. As much as she wanted to search the school to find Sasuke, she knew it was wiser to check the class board first. She would have to be incredibly lucky to find him in this swamp when every single high schooler flooding the courtyard.

No one paid her any mind as she crossed the yard and approached the class board, looking for a way in. Somewhere in the crowd she heard a rather obnoxious cry of, "Hey, jerk we got in the same class," followed by a cackling laugh. Kokoro frowned, unable to cut through the large crowd and too short to see over everyone else's head even on her top toes. She noticed the crowd parting slightly to her right as a group of kids pushed their way out. If she was fast, could she slip in that way?

Fortune was on her side today, but not in the way she expected.

A head with spiky blonde hair, blue eyes, and a fox-like grin emerged from the crowd with his arm looped around the neck of a young man with jet black hair, dark eyes, and a much more serious expression. As soon as they broke the crowd, he shoved himself out of the laughing blondes headlock and straightened up to adjust his uniform. He muttered something, but Kokoro didn't catch it. The crowd suddenly sounded very muffled and far away. The only sound she heard was the beating of her own heart as it thudded wildly in her chest. He hadn't noticed her yet, but she couldn't believe her luck.

Three years difference had been very kind to him. He was taller now, she realized, and as handsome as ever. His fifteen year old body had filled out with toned lean muscle, and while he kept that same hair style he had ever since they were kids, his face had matured greatly. Tentatively, she called out to him.

"Sasuke...?"

His head turned at the sound of his name being called. His face went through a quick contortion of emotion. At first he had looked toward her with indifferent curiosity, but the second his eyes landed on her, his expression changed to a look of shock and disbelief. His mouth hung open for several seconds too long before he finally found his voice.

"...Kokoro?"

The sound of her name on his lips made her heart soar straight to the heavens. A warm pink dusted her cheeks as excitement overcame her. He recognized her! Brimming with joy, Kokoro closed the gap between them. Her arms latches around his neck, pulling him into a tight embrace. She felt Sasuke's arms loop around her lower back, holding her fast against him. Her ear pressed against his chest, hearing his heart match her own erratic pace. A bright smile tugged on her lips. "I missed you so much!"

—-

This morning was just like every other first day of school. Naruto dragged Sasuke to the front of the school board so they could find out what class they and their friends would be in this year. Naruto found their names first and announced it loudly in Sasuke's ear. He scanned the list of names and saw that Sakura, Hinata, and Ino were also in their class along with some other friends like Shikamaru and Kiba. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and combatted Naruto's excitement, "how did an idiot like you make it into class 1-A?"

Naruto scoffed. "Maybe I'm not as big an idiot as you make me out to be, bastard." Naruto swung his arm around Sasuke's neck and started dragging him through the crowd, saying how this year he was going to prove himself and gave a great triumphant laugh. As soon as they were out of the crowd, Sasuke shoved Naruto off him. His pits stunk.

"You're such a dumbass, you don't even know what deodorant is," Sasuke quipped as he straightened his uniform. Well, now that they knew their class, they might as well find the girls and save them the trouble of fighting through the horde. Naruto threw his own comeback of, "Well, at least I don't stink as bad as your attitude," before taking off laughing. Sasuke went to follow him at a more casual pace, but didn't make it far before a strikingly familiar voice called out to him.

"Sasuke...?" Assuming it was just another one of his admirers, Sasuke turned curiously to see what they wanted and swore his heart stopped. He stood, gapping like an idiot as he tried to figure out if he was seeing things or not.

Sure enough, there, standing before him was, "...Kokoro?"

* * *

 **Chapter 2 End!**

 **Like I said, a little bit of a short one. The next chapter shit starts hitting the fan and things might get a little bit steamy with some drama ? follow along and let me know if you're liking it so far! Chapter 3 coming soon!**

 **~Sweetsugarstand**


	3. Confessions

**Two updates in one day! What a roll. It'll probably be a few days until my next update ... or maybe not! We will see. Anyway, as promised here is chapter three. It's about three times as long as my other chapters, with a lot more content, some drama seeds have been planted, and some lime juice has been squeezed in there.**

 **As always, I hope you all enjoy! Let me know your thoughts and feed back, and I'll get to work on the next chapter. The next chapter or two will probably have a lot of emotional reconciliation and more dynamic character interactions!**

 **Dont forget Ino's party is coming up soon too. I wonder what could possibly go wrong there? Keep reading to find out!**

 **~Sweetsugarstand**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

Sasuke couldn't believe his eyes. For a moment, he thought that he might be hallucinating until her small arms wrapped around his neck and he felt her soft curves press against his chest. His arms automatically slid around her waist, tugging her close. As unreal as it seemed, she was really there: her touch, her voice, her scent…it was all real. Slowly, Sasuke pulled back, holding her at arms length. His eyes drank up her appearance. She was every bit as beautiful as the last time he saw her, if not even more so.

It took a long moment for him to finally work out what to say. "What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked. His mind was numb with shock and his heart racing with excitement, which confused him even further. He had long ago convinced himself that he would probably never see her again, yet here she stood.

A slight crease formed along her brow. "What do you mean? Didn't Mikoto-san tell you? I called yesterday, but she said you were out with friends…" Sasuke's thoughts removed themselves from her kissable pink lips that pouted at him ever so slightly and his eyes widened in realization.

"No…but I think she meant to. She mentioned a call, but my father and brother came home before she could finish," Sasuke explained. That must have been what his mother wanted to tell him! Part of him wished she had so he could have better prepared himself for this moment. The other part of him wasn't sure he would have known what to do with the information if he did hear it anyway.

Her lips formed a small 'o' shape. "Oh, well in that case… Surprise!" Her giggle sounded like a sweet song he could listen to on repeat all day.

A ghost of a smile tugged at his lips, "Yeah," he breathed, unsure of what to say. He glanced toward the class listing. "Did you see what class you're in yet?" She shook her head and explained she was waiting for the crowd to thin out so she could get close enough to read it. Figuring that would take far too long, Sasuke extended his arm to her. "Here, I'll give you a boost so you can see."

Thanking him, Kokoro stepped forward and let him hoist her up high so she could see over the crowd and find her name amongst the postings. A light blush tinted Sasuke's cheeks as he realized her chest was now level with his face and his thoughts began to wander once again, _She grew larger…_ he noted, then cleared his throat, "Did you find it?" he asked, averting his eyes. He really shouldn't be thinking about her breasts…or her sweet black cherry scent.

"I think so…" Kokoro steadied herself with one arm on his shoulder and leaned forward just slightly. Her eyes narrowed to see better. "Yes! I found it." She motioned for him to let her down. She adjusted her uniform once back on her feet and thanked him. "I'm in class 2-A."

2-A, huh? She'd be in the class beside his, then. It wasn't surprising though. Kokoro had always been an intelligent young girl. They often shared the same class and studied together throughout their early years in school. "I'm in 1-A. We'll be beside each other," he told her.

"Well, that's not too bad," but Sasuke could hear in her voice that she was a little disappointed. "Do you have plans tonight?"

Sasuke shook his head. No. "Why?"

A smile that rivaled the sun spread across her cheeks as the warning bells tolled and suddenly the crowd of students shifted to flock the halls of the school to make it to class on time. Naruto could be heard in the distance calling for Sasuke to hurry it up unless he wanted to be late.

"Tonight," Kokoro said quickly, gripping his hands. "Come over after school. I have something for you, and I have so much to tell you."

"Sasuke!" Naruto called.

Sasuke glanced back at Naruto who was waving and pointing toward the doors. He gave him the signal to go in ahead of him. The blonde could be seen shaking his head and shrugging before heading inside. "Sure," Sasuke agreed. "I'll meet you by the gates."

"Okay." Before he knew it, Kokoro leaned in and placed a soft kiss directly on his lips. It was a quick, chaste kiss, but it swelled his heart and left a warm tingle on his lips all the same. "I'll see you."

—-

Never before had Sasuke looked forward to lunch as much as he did today. All morning his mind kept wandering away from the subjects he was supposed to be studying. Soft curves and warm lips, the smell of cherries and gentle caresses kept creeping into the back of his mind whenever he tried to focus on everything but that. Memories that he buried long ago resurfaced and nearly got him in trouble when his English teacher, Hatake Kakashi, called on him to answer a question that he hadn't heard a single word of.

When the bell tolled for lunch, Sasuke quickly left the classroom and shoved his books into his locker. He stiffened, feeling someone latch onto his arm before realizing it was only Sakura. She looked at him with a curious expression. "You seem awfully distracted today, Sasuke-kun," Sakura commented. She held two bento's in her hand, one of which was for him. "Something on your mind?"

"Not particularly…" Sasuke lied. He closed his locker door and took his bento from her. Naruto came up beside them with his own bento wrapped in an orange cloth. After learning that Naruto practically lived off ramen with his adopted father Iruka, Sakura had decided to bring both Sasuke _and_ Naruto a bento every Monday.

A loud growl emitted from the blonde's stomach. "Come on, lets go! I'm starving," Naruto whined. Since it was a nice day, the three of them went outside to eat beneath the cherry blossom tree in the school yard. Ino and Hinata joined them, along with a disgruntled Shikamaru who was dragged against his will and Choji. Maybe some fresh air would help clear his mind…

It didn't. Sasuke ate his lunch almost robotically, catching random words of the conversation going on, but neither contributing or paying any attention at all. A sharp jab in the side drew Sasuke from his stupor. "Hm?" He grunted, glancing at Naruto.

"So?" Naruto asked. When Sasuke continued to stare at him blankly. Naruto rolled his eyes. "Where is your head today, man? You haven't heard a thing we've been talking about, have you?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I've just got some stuff on my mind…" From the corner of his eye, he could see a small frown tug on Sakura's lips since he told her earlier there wasn't. "It's nothing important." Just a lot of old memories he was trying to swallow down and even more unanswered questions and unresolved emotions.

Naruto hummed in thought. "Is it that girl?" He asked. People may have thought him an idiot, but he could be surprisingly perceptive at times. "You know, that one from this morning?" Earlier, Sasuke had been acting like his normal self. It wasn't until classes started that he started acting weird. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together. "What did she want? Did she blackmail you or something?"

Sasuke stared at Naruto with an unreadable expression. "What?" Where did blackmail come from?

It was enough to get Sakura and Ino's attention though. Hinata listened silently as usual while Choji probably only heard every other word between the crunching of his BBQ chips. "Blackmail?" Ino gasped. Sakura and her exchanged looks.

Oh great… Sasuke bit back a grimace. "No, I'm not being blackmailed," he said evenly. "You guys are making something out of nothing."

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Then why are you dodging the question?" She asked, smart and perceptive as always. "What girl is Naruto talking about?"

Naruto nodded his head, wanting to know too. "I've never seen her before. Do you know her?"

Realizing they weren't going to let it go until they were satisfied, Sasuke caved and told them a little something to pacify their curiosity. "Yes," Sasuke sighed. "Our parents are good friends and we used to go to school together before I transferred here."

"So... you're friends?" Naruto simplified.

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders and didn't confirm or deny it. Yes, they were, but they were also more than that. He couldn't possibly explain the complicated nature of their relationship right now without having had a proper conversation with her first. Not to mention... The feeling of guilt festered in his gut. Sakura had no idea about Kokoro or that he had been in a serious relationship with her. More accurately, he had been in a serious relationship with her and never officially ended it before he started dating Sakura. He had just assumed after not hearing from her for several years she had probably moved on and he should do the same. It was a stupid, horribly thought out move driven by his bitterness with their situation. He was wrong. Kokoro had proved that to him this morning when she kissed him. And now he had himself two girls, neither of which knew anything about the other.

Curiosity bubbled within the group at the knowledge that Sasuke had a friend none of them had even once heard of or seen before. Not even Sakura or Naruto who frequented his house since they became friends. "Why haven't you ever introduced us before?" Sakura asked. If she was a close family friend she must have come around often.

"Yeah, why not? You never spoke about her," Naruto agreed.

There was no way out of this was there? Naruto to his left, Sakura to his right. Ino leaned forward with her ears on high alert for hot gossip, Hinata twirling her thumbs nervously... the only two that didn't seem interested were Choji, who continued to munch on his chips, but a little quieter, and Shikamaru, who cracked an eye open to see what was going on, but quickly shut it afterwards.

"It's a long story," Sasuke decided that the super abbreviated version would be plenty to satisfy them. "Right before freshmen year of high school her family had to move away on..." he hesitated, knowing he couldn't tell them what her family actually did. He chose a safe word, "business. They were gone for about three years and I guess they just got back." Sasuke closed his half eaten lunch. "We weren't able to keep in touch, so this morning was the first I've spoken to her in a long time."

A chorus of "ooh" and "hmm" surrounded him. Good. That answered their questions then.

Ino nudged Sakura. "Hey, we should invite her for lunch with us. If she's been gone that long and she's brand new to the school she must need some friends."

As good a place as Ino's heart was in, Sasuke wished she hadn't just said that. Everyone except for him seemed to think it was a great idea. "Will you introduce us tomorrow?" Sakura asked. It was obvious she was curious about this mystery friend of his.

 _No…_ Sasuke thought, but knew there was only one appropriate answer, "…I guess I can ask her…" If he said no, they'd be suspicious as to why. He could only agree and hope for the best, but he knew there was no good way out of this. No matter what he did, shit was going to hit the fan and he was going to be covered in it.

The conversation shifted again. Sasuke lost his appetite and put his unfinished bento to the side. It was only noon and he felt exhausted already. He was ready to take a leaf out of Shikamaru's book and kick back for a short nap for the rest of break. Now that everyone's attention was off him, Sasuke decided to do just that. He leaned back and tucked his arms beneath his head, closing his eyes for the last fifteen minutes.

—-

The Kage estate hadn't changed tremendously since the last time he was there. They must have hired hands to maintain the property in their absence. Sasuke followed Kokoro and her little brother, Koi, inside. Sasuke was surprised by how much Koi had grown. He was five the last time he saw him and only came up to his mid thigh. Now Koi was almost as tall as his sister. The men in her family definitely inherited the height genes.

"Everyone is most likely still at work," Kokoro said upon entering the house to complete silence. Like his family, her parents and brother worked long hours sometimes and the occasional extended trip wasn't too uncommon either. "Koi," the boy stopped in his tracks on his way towards the living room. "Make sure you finish your homework before dinner. You can play your games after."

The boy's lips formed a disgruntled pout as he changed course to go toward his room instead.

"Come on," Kokoro motioned for Sasuke to follow her. "This place hasn't changed at all. To be honest, it's sort of weird. It's my home, but it's been so long I feel nostalgic being back."

Sasuke could relate. It was like a trip down memory lane, remembering how much time he spent here and all the trouble they used to get in. Old pictures still lined the wall of a younger family, and even he appeared in some pictures with Kokoro and her siblings. Despite how long it had been, he still knew where everything was. "It must feel weird to be back."

Kokoro nodded. "Sort of, it does. But I'm happy to finally be home. I missed this place. Abroad, we travelled so often I don't think I bothered unpacking my bags at all. We barely stayed in one place for more than three days before we were on the move again."

"That sucks." Sasuke wasn't a huge fan of change. He could deal with it gradually, but he'd hate to constantly be on the move. He followed her into her bedroom and was both amused and surprised to see that it hadn't changed a bit.

Kokoro closed the door behind them and put her school bag by the cherry wood desk next to the window. "I seriously need to redecorate," she laughed off her embarrassment at her pre-teenish decor. It wasn't all that bad. The walls were a light lilac purple. Her two large windows were framed by thick dark purple black-out curtains with silver accent ties to keep them open. Knowing how much she hated waking up, he guessed those stayed shut late into the morning on weekends. Her queen bed was pressed against the corner wall and dressed with white sheets and an embroidered comforter. The old white rug was graying and needed to be replaced. Her furniture was all constructed from dark cherry wood and held a variety of her personal items. A trunk sat open by her large walk in closet, half unpacked. His eyes caught sight of a worn white bunny plush that sat in the middle of her bed. He picked it up and looked it over.

"You still have this?" Sasuke felt a smirk tug on the corner of his lips, seeing her face turn red.

"Of course I do!" She exclaimed. He had won it for her forever ago at the first festival they went to as boyfriend and girlfriend when they were twelve. "I took it with me when we left, too." Judging by how ruffled it was, she must have slept with it close every night. Placing the bunny back down, Sasuke took a seat on the side of her bed.

She never let go, Sasuke realized. He felt disappointed in himself for ever thinking otherwise and guilty for betraying her faith in him. As much as he didn't want to, he had to tell her the truth and take the consequences as they came. Clasping his hands in his lap, Sasuke took a deep breath and -

"I'm sorry," Kokoro said suddenly, stopping him in his tracks. She sat down beside him and placed her hand on top of his.

Why was _she_ apologizing?! Sasuke was confused. "For what? You don't have to apologize for anything." If anyone needed to apologize it was him.

"Yes I do. When I left, I promised you I would come back soon and I would try to keep in touch somehow..." Kokoro bit her bottom lip and looked crestfallen at her lap. "I did try - but I didn't realize at the time how difficult that would be. The mission my parents were on was extremely difficult and highly confidential. My phone was confiscated, so I couldn't use that. Computer use was limited to homework only. Emails could be too easily hacked and traced. I thought of sending normal mail, but I couldn't do that either... if it got intercepted it could have been bad and put you and your family at risk as well."

So that's why... in the back of his head he had known there was a good explanation for everything, but he had ignored it and chose to sulk and assume the worst instead. He didn't blame her for what she couldn't control. "That's not your fault," Sasuke reassured her.

"But for three years...?" He could hear the unsteadiness in her voice and felt the slight tremble of her fingers. "A small part of me thought for sure that you'd forgotten me by now."

Sasuke cupped his hand over her's and gently squeezed her hand to comfort her. "Don't be ridiculous. I could never forget you." Believe him, he tried and failed miserably. "I told you," Sasuke repeated, "it's not your fault."

There. A small smile tugged on the corners of her lips. She pulled her hands from his and gave him a tight hug. Sasuke wrapped an arm around her slim waist and held her close. They stayed like that for several moments, and afterwards rather than pulling back, Kokoro moved closer. She threw one of her toned thighs over his hips and slid into his lap. Her hands trailed from around his neck to cup his face and pulled him into a soft kiss.

Alarms went off in Sasuke's head; he was supposed to be explaining his situation to her, not kissing her. But the way her lips caressed his own and her sweet intoxicating taste muffled all warnings. Her tongue pressed against his lips and despite himself, Sasuke granted her access. It was a lot easier to indulge in desire than it was to break her heart. The kiss quickly became more passionate than either of them intended as three years of desire came crashing to the surface. Kokoro tangled her fingers in his dark hair. Hot breaths mingled in between kisses and light nips. Sasuke grabbed her hips and slid one hand beneath the hem of her shirt. Her abdomen flexed at his touch and he felt her thighs squeeze his hips.

One of her delicate hands slid down his shoulder, over the expanse of his chest, and grabbed the collar of his school uniform. Quick, nimble fingers pulled his tie loose, unfastened his buttons, and pushed his shirt open. Kokoro raked her nails along his pictorials. The pads of her fingers traced his abs dangerously close to the hem of his pants, which were beginning to feel incredibly tight. Sasuke broke their kiss and dropped his head. He felt her shudder in his lap as his breath fanned over her neck. Licking his lips, Sasuke dove in and attacked her neck with kisses and soft bites. He pressed his tongue against her pearly white skin and sucked on the pressure point in her neck.

"Aah-mmmah..."

Oh how he missed that sound! Sasuke raked his teeth along her collar bone, groaning as she rubbed her heat against the straining bulge between his legs. He led a trail of kisses down to the soft flesh of her breasts, both hands grasped her bra-clad mounds, and... Sasuke paused, pulling back. "When did you...?" He had been so distracted by her moans and wiggling hips that he completely failed to notice when she unbuttoned her own shirt, revealing her lacy white bra. He hadn't been imagining things earlier; they really were at least twice the size they were the last time he saw her.

Giggling, Kokoro pressed her palms to his chest and pushed him into his back before he could burry his face in her prominent cleavage. Sasuke stared up at the young woman straddling his lap with lust in his eyes and desire burning in his loins. By the gods, if she wasn't the most beautiful creature he had ever seen... her sweet face was flushed red, framed by tousled dark purple hair that cascaded over her shoulder. Her unbuttoned blouse draped off her shoulders, while her tie hung loosely around her neck, resting against her cleavage. Her breasts moved with each deep breath she took, and he imagined fondling them, perky and swollen, with his hands and mouth. Her skirt was bunched at her hips giving him a glimpse of her lavender panties and thigh highs. Sasuke cupped her cheek, staring into her eyes. Her irises were darker than normal, glazed over with excitement and passion. Her swollen lips curled into a voluptuous smile.

Sasuke grasped her around the waist and in one swift motion, reversed their positions so he was on top of her. Kokoro looped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. "Sasuke..." she breathed against his lips. Their tongues met in oral combat, tasting and tangling with one another while their hands continued to relearn every nook and cranny of their matured bodies.

This was it, Sasuke thought. This was what he had been missing all along to finally fill the empty hole in his chest that nothing seemed to fix. He wanted her; he needed her soft touches and warm caress, her intoxicating scent, and tantalizing sounds. He had missed her; missed her so much he could hardly admit it to even himself.

Sasuke pressed his body flush against hers, feeling every curve trapped beneath him. Kokoro wound her arms around his neck and shoulders. One of her legs hooked around his waist and the other locked around one of his thighs. Sasuke felt her core, hot and wet, through his slacks and rocked his hips against the sensitive juncture between her thighs. Kokoro threw her head back, arching her back as she ground her hips against his. Her fingers fisted the back of his shirt and began tugging the fabric from his shoulders. Sasuke shrugged his shirt off and cast it aside, enjoying the feeling of her nails raking against his skin as she bit and sucked at his ears while writhing and mewling beneath him.

He wasn't going to be able to wait much longer. Fire burned in his cock begging to be released from its clothed confines. He wanted to tear off her remaining articles of clothing and plunge deep into her pleasurable abyss. He needed to be inside her now! Just as he began slipping a hand beneath her skirt to remove her panties, something began to vibrate in his pocket. His phone. Sasuke stopped, the haze that had taken over his mind slowly dissipating. Kokoro unlatched her lips from the nape of his neck and glanced at him curiously. "Do you need to get that?"

Her gentle, patient smile killed him.

The buzzing stopped, but that momentary distraction was enough to remind him exactly where and when he was. For a moment it had felt as though he was fifteen again, about to make love to the girl of his dreams. But he wasn't. He was eighteen and about to sleep with the woman he loved, by ultimately lying to her about cheating on her by cheating on his current girlfriend. How the hell did things get messed up so quickly? He wasn't the type for drama, and yet here he was about ready to get caught in the ultimate shit show.

Regaining his self control, Sasuke slowly untangled himself from between Kokoro's arms and legs and sat a couple feet away. He needed to tell her now, before things continued to escalate too far. As badly as he wanted her, he couldn't allow himself to betray anymore of her trust by taking advantage of her like this. He couldn't do that to Sakura either. He may not _love_ her, but he did care for her plenty. "No…but I need to talk to you about something."

Noticing how serious he suddenly was, Kokoro sat up. "What is it?" Worry reflected in her eyes, wondering what could possibly be wrong. "Is everything alright?"

The words stuck in his throat. It hurt to even try and say them. With no good way to come out with it, Sasuke decided to make it quick, like ripping off a bandaid. "Kokoro...I need to be upfront with you. I... can't do this with you anymore. I have a girlfriend."

There was a long, uncomfortable silence between them. Sasuke tried to avoid looking at Kokoro's confused and bewildered expression. "...What...?" she finally spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "What are you talking about? I thought..."

He couldn't blame her for being confused. It wasn't her fault; it was his. He hadn't been able to communicate with her once until today, and when he made the decision to give dating Sakura a chance, he had no way of telling her. Honestly, he didn't expect the relationship to go anywhere, and if Kokoro had been able to communicate with him even once to tell him her situation he probably never would have said 'yes' to Sakura, but he did and the principal of the matter was that Sakura was now his girlfriend and he couldn't justify lying to or betraying either one of them.

This was probably going to be about as hard for him to explain as it was for her to hear, but he needed to. "I…Ko, I waited for over two years and when I never heard a word from you or your family, I thought maybe you had moved on. I had no way to contact you or anything and I had no idea when you'd ever be back…" or if she'd even be back, but that was no excuse for what he had done. Sasuke swallowed the lump in his throat. "Over the spring semester, Sakura confessed that she had feelings for me and I agreed to go out with her," Sasuke said. "I should have told you sooner, but I kept hesitating…I didn't mean to hide it from you."

After another long pause, Sasuke glanced at her and instantly wished he hadn't. Kokoro had turned her face away so he could only see her profile, but it was still enough for him to see how hurt she was. Kokoro was normally very good at putting on a happy-go-lucky front even on the worst of days. She was the type of girl that was optimistic and never let challenges stand in the way of what she wanted. Throughout all the time he had known her, he had only seen her upset enough to cry a handful of times. The fact that her eyes now welled with unshed tears was a testament to how bad he fucked up.

If only he could go back and time and stop himself from ever being so stupid in the first place...

There was more he wanted to say; he wanted to reassure her that his feelings for her never faded and he would do whatever it took to make things right between them, but as soon as he opened his mouth she held up a hand to stop him before he could say more than, "Ko..."

Her face was tight as she took several deep breaths to compose herself. Finally, she softly said, "Don't. Don't apologize." Her lips trembled with every word. "I'm going to need some time to process this. Just...give me a few days." Despite the softness of her voice, Sasuke noticed her fingers curled into tight fists in her lap. As much as he wanted to do something for her, he knew she was bottling up all her pain and confusion, and she'd continue to do so until he left. Even though he had more to say, he understood that she wanted to be of clear mind when they spoke.

"Okay," Sasuke agreed. If that's what she needed, then he could respect that.

Kokoro quickly wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. She held her hand out to him. "Let me see your phone," she requested. Curious, Sasuke pulled his phone out. He quickly glanced to see that the missed call was from his mother. He'd call her back on his way home. He put in the password and handed it to her. Kokoro poked at the screen a bit before handing it back. It was her phone number. "I got a new phone when we got back," She told him. "Text me later so I can have yours?"

Well. She didn't hate him, Sasuke determined. He nodded. "Sure. I'll do that." He stood up to let her have some time to herself to work out her thoughts. Sasuke grabbed his discarded shirt off the floor and slipped it back on. Before he left, Kokoro grabbed a small box off from her bed side table and held it out to him.

"This is for you," She told him.

That's right. She said she had something for him earlier this morning. "Thank you," he said, accepting it from her. Inside the box was a beaded onyx bracelet with a red and orange fire gem between two dragon heads. "That's cool, thanks," Sasuke said again, slipping it on. He glanced up at her to see a half smile on her lips despite the fact that she looked she was still fighting the urge to resist breaking down in front of him. "I can show myself out...you should get some rest," Sasuke finally said. He hesitated, looking over her rosy cheeks and glossy eyes. He wanted to give her a hug and tell her things would work out, but he didn't want to push it. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you."

As he left, Sasuke heard her breath hitch as soon as the door closed behind him. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to leave, pausing by Koi's room to make sure the kid was doing what he was supposed to and didn't need anything. It was the least he could do after what he just dropped on her. He had a feeling Kokoro wouldn't want to be bothered any time soon.

"Hey," Sasuke greeted at the bedroom door. "I'm heading out. Do you need anything? Ko's not feeling too good so try to let her rest if you can."

Koi jumped up from whatever homework he was doing and ran over to give him a hug before he left. He wasn't a super gullible kid though and instantly picked up on his semi-lie. "What's wrong with nee-Chan? She seemed fine earlier."

Sasuke placed a hand in his head and and ruffled his deep purple hair. "Nothing serious. She's just got a headache. Let her take a nap and she'll feel better."

Not completely convinced, Koi gave Sasuke a scrutinizing looking before shrugging his shoulders and nodding. "Okay," he said. "When will you be back? Next time can you play some games with me?"

"I'm not sure, but I'll try to soon." He wasn't about to go making promises, but hopefully he'd be back soon. "I have to go now. Be good," Sasuke told him with a little wave as he went to leave.

Nodding, Koi let him go. "See ya, Sasuke-nii." As he left, Koi headed back over to his desk to finish his work.

Sasuke showed himself out and headed home with a heavy and unresolved heart.

* * *

 **Chapter 3 end!**


	4. Introductions

**Hello, hello! I'm happy to see that people are interested in and enjoying my story so far. I know Oc's aren't everyone's cup of tea, so I thank those who stick around and want to see this story unfold! I will be writing from multiple character's points of view where needed to give a lot of different perspective on the story. My main focus, of course, will be on Sasuke, Sakura, and Kokoro. Continue reading to find out how the drama builds as Sakura begins questioning Sasuke's feelings, Sasuke battles with himself on what to do, and Kokoro tries learning to let go. Their parents' jobs will be significant to the plot later on.**

 **Thanks again to all my readers and I'm interested in hearing your thoughts and opinions so far!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **~Sweetsugarstand**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

"Yah!" Whoosh. Whap. Bam. Bam. "Kyah!"

Sweat hid the tears that had earlier fell from long dark lashes. Kokoro hated crying; it made her feel so small and helpless. That was why she usually tried to keep an optimistic outlook no matter what situation she faced. There was always a solution! Always. A damn. Solution.

"Aaagh!"

Kokoro slammed her round house kick into the side of the heavy bag hanging from their small personal gym. Today, she had no solution, and she didn't feel very optimistic. She felt angry, and sad, and betrayed, and foolish… Breathing heavy, Kokoro felt tears weld in her eyes again. She threw one more punch at the bag before dropping to the ground, her knees pulled in close to her chest and her arms wrapped tightly around them.

She felt so stupid and somewhat humiliated. A small part of her wished she had decked him just once for leading her on all day and waiting until the last possible moment to tell her that he…that he already had a _new_ girlfriend. That would have been nice to know _earlier_ , before she…she… Kokoro pressed her hand to her lips. She wouldn't have been so forward if she knew.

It made her even more angry, but she also knew it wasn't Sasuke's fault either. He'd simply assumed what most people would after not hearing from someone for so long. It made her feel foolish for holding on for so long, but all the more heartbroken that he'd broken his promise and did just the opposite. Taking a deep breath, Kokoro wiped away her tears and picked herself up for a hot bath.

It was eight before Kokoro pulled herself from her bath. She'd calmed down significantly. Her eyes were puffy and her cheeks red, but her thoughts were clearer and after a good night rest, she hoped she'd be ready to face tomorrow.

A knock on her bedroom door came just when she finished pulling on her pajama's. "Come in," Kokoro called. Risa, Kokoro's mother, peaked her head in. It was obvious where Kokoro got her looks from. She shared the same almond shaped eyes, button nose, and heart shaped face. The dark purple hair ran in their family and Risa's was just as long, if not longer than her daughters. Her body had aged well with the years and she was surprisingly fit for having popped out three children, two of which were impressively large boys in comparison to her.

"Ko, hunny, is everything alright?" Risa asked. Kokoro could see the worry reflected in her eyes despite the kind smile on her lips. "You didn't come down for dinner."

Kokoro faked a smile and sat down on her bed. "Sorry, yeah. I'm alright, just not much of an appetite tonight."

Her mother didn't buy that for a moment. Risa arched a brow, leaning against the door frame. "What happened?" She asked.

Kokoro's smile fell into a grimace. There was no hiding things from her mother; she had that uncanny ability to know when any of them were lying or upset. "I met up with Sasuke today…" Kokoro tried to keep the quiver out of her lip. She cast her gaze down and to the side. Her fingers fiddled in her lap. "We talked…we broke up." She pressed her lips tight.

In three fast strides, Risa was beside her. She sat and tapped an arm around her shoulders, tugging her daughter close. "Oh, sweetie…" What could she possibly say? Surprise and sympathy was clear on her face. Kokoro placed her head against Risa's shoulder and let her mother run her fingers through her damp hair.

This was her first heartbreak and she didn't quite know how to deal with it. "He has a new girlfriend I guess…I haven't met her yet." She didn't know what else to say. That's exactly what the situation was and there was no way around it.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. These last couple years have been difficult. We've had to ask so much of you and your brothers...I wish you could have come home to better news." Risa glanced at the clock to see that it was only quarter past eight. She kissed her daughter one the forehead and headed toward the door. "I'll be right back."

About five minutes later Risa came back with a tray of crackers and cheese, apples and caramel, and two glasses with a bottle of sweet red wine. Kokoro looked at her mother, surprised as she poured them both a glass and handed her one.

"On a school night?" She asked.

Risa smiled. "I think the occasion calls for it. One glass isn't going to hurt."

Who could argue with that logic? Kokoro took a sip without hesitation. It wasn't her first time drinking, though she had never been drunk and only drank in small amounts on occasion with her parents. The wine was sweet and warm as it entered her belly. She bit into a cracker with cheese as her mother situated herself behind her and took hold of her hair.

Kokoro didn't think twice about the mark on her neck until her mother asked. "Kokoro. What's that on your neck?"

Her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed red. Risa had a fishtail braid started and must have revealed the mark when she pulled all her hair up. She had been hoping to hide and forget about that. "Oh... that..." her mouth suddenly felt like she'd been drinking dry wine instead of sweet. She begrudgingly told her mother about how Sasuke didn't exactly break up with her right away...

Risa was silent, her lips pulled into a line as she listened. She didn't say anything for a long moment until she finished braiding Kokoro's hair. "You know your father wasn't the first man I ever dated. I had a boyfriend or two before him and each one had their complications and heartbreak." She tucked a purple lock behind Kokoro's ear. "You've been very close to Sasuke since before you two could walk. It was almost expected that you two would start dating, but that doesn't mean everything is meant to be that way." Risa paused and added, "it also doesn't mean that things can't be that way again. We're home for good now, so you can start to rekindle your friendships. If Sasuke still has feelings for you, he may come back to you."

Kokoro started at her mother, curious as to what she was trying to imply. Something about her confusion must have been funny because Risa chuckled at her expression.

"What I'm saying is, don't sell yourself short. If Sasuke wants to be with you again, he'll come back to you, but it's also up to you if you want to take him back. Kokoro, you're a beautiful, smart, and talented young woman. Don't let heartbreak consume you - go out and make new friends. …And keep your options open." Risa took a long sip of her wine glass and ate a crisp apple slice.

She was right, Kokoro realized after a long moment. There was nothing she could do about the heavy ache in her chest except for accept it for what it is and try to move past it. Nodding, Kokoro cracked a small smile. "Thanks, mom."

For another hour the two sat and talked. Before she knew it, the bedside clock had changed to ten thirty and it was time for her to get ready for bed. Kokoro gave her mother a kiss on the cheek before she left with the empty glasses and tray.

Kokoro climbed into bed and grabbed her phone to see she had a message sent a little over an hour ago from… her heart skipped too fast in her chest and hurt all too strongly at the same time. She didn't know if she was happy or sad that he texted her. It was a simple message. He had just told her it was him and asked if she was doing okay. It was late, but she figured she could reply. If he was sleeping he'd get it in the morning.

 _Thanks ^o^! I'm fine, just finished getting ready for bed. Sorry, I just saw your message now._

Send.

Kokoro stared at her message for a long moment after she sent it. It felt…weird to be texting after so long. She skimmed through her phone, revisiting old apps. Most of them were just simple games. What was the new thing now a days? Was Facebook still a thing? She felt so out of the loop as she scrolled through the app store when a new message popped up on her phone. Kokoro clicked on it, surprised he responded this late.

 _Okay, I thought you might be mad at me for earlier since you didn't reply._

Well, she wasn't happy… but she wasn't mad at him. Kokoro rolled onto her side, typing her response.

 _I'm not mad at you. I understand, don't worry about it. We can still be friends, right?_

It felt so silly asking, but she wanted to make sure 'friendship' wasn't going to be over stepping any new boundaries that may have developed while she was gone. Her return hadn't gone at all how she had been hoping. At least his response put a smile on her face.

 _Of course,_ he had replied almost immediately.

—-

 _Great! Well, I need to get to sleep now. I'll see you tomorrow. Good night, Sasuke!_

 _Good night, Ko. See you later_

Sasuke stared at his phone. He felt...relieved. When she didn't respond he'd assumed she must have been pissed at him for leading her on. She had every right to be, but he was glad she wasn't. How was he going to face her tomorrow? His phone buzzed again, but it was Sakura this time. How was he going to face her, too, when she still didn't know anything? He stared at her flustered message, wondering if he should tell her or if it wasn't necessary.

He decided not to. If he already ended things with Ko, what did she need to know for? He didn't need to make her worry or insecure about anything unnecessarily. Sasuke looked back at his phone to reread her message.

 _Well - enough about that. Sorry for ranting! Ino's party is Saturday. Do you want to go out, just me and you on Friday after school?_

He didn't have anything going on that he knew of. Knowing it would make her happy to spend time together, Sasuke responded yes and asked her where she wanted to go. They made plans to meet after school at Le Chat Noir, which was a French tea cafe that Sakura liked, and a walk through Central Park and the market square.

Sasuke bid her a good night after they finished making plans. It took longer than he would have liked, but after tossing and turning for a while he finally fell into a restless sleep.

—-

Sakura bit into the end of her pencil. Her forest green eyes focused on the problem their calculus teacher, Mitsuki, was writing on the whiteboard: Use implicit differentiation to find an equation of the tangent line to the curve _sin x + cos y = 1_ at the point _(π/2, π/2)_. Mitsuki stepped aside and Sakura began sketching out the answer in her notebook. It took less than a minute before her hand was the first stretched high in the air. Mitsuki smiled and pointed to her.

"Sakura, have you worked it out already?"

Sakura lowered her hand. "Yes, Mitsuki-sensei." He nodded for her to continue. "The answer is _y=π/2._ "

"Correct," Mitsuki praised. He continued to give them practice problems to review what they learned in class yesterday and warm up for the harder materials they'd be covering for the rest of the year.

Calculus, English, History, Japanese… Their classes continued throughout the day. Sakura's eyes wandered over to Sasuke's back from across the room. Their seats were usually on opposite sides since their last names were so far apart, but it always gave her a good view of him. She was glad to see that he seemed more focused today than yesterday. He must have resolved whatever had been clouding his mind. Which reminded her…

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura called to Sasuke after class. She waited for him by the door as he tucked his notebook into his bag and caught up with her. It was finally time for break, which meant… "Did you invite your friend to have lunch with us?"

Her smile never faltered, but she noticed the way Sasuke seemed to stiffen unexpectedly at her question. His eyes avoided hers and focused on the hardwood floors.

"No," Sasuke replied cooly. He allowed her to lock arms with him and start walking toward their lockers. "I guess it slipped my mind. I had a busy night."

She supposed that couldn't be avoided. "Well, what class is she in? Maybe we can still catch her."

"No."

Sakura blinked, surprised by his fast answer. Why not? Her expression must have been pretty clear because Sasuke quickly amended his statement. "I just mean, you don't need to go out of your way. She'll be fine. I'll invite her another time."

Oh. Okay. Sakura felt her smile dropping a little. An uneasy feeling settled in her gut. Why did it feel like he was hiding something from her? Sasuke wasn't an incredibly open person in the first place, but she still wanted to meet this mystery friend and it felt like - maybe it was her imagination - he didn't want them to. Sakura dropped it for now and met with Naruto and Ino by the lockers. They switched their shoes and grabbed their lunches before heading out to their normal spot by the cherry blossom tree.

On their way across the courtyard, Sakura caught sight of long, dark hair that shined with a purple tint in the sunlight. It looked soft as silk and belonged to an unfamiliar girl. Her head was down in a book, so Sakura couldn't make out her features well, but Naruto seemed to recognize her from somewhere. His exclamation surprised Sakura, causing her to jump nearly a foot in the air.

"Hey, that's her isn't it? From yesterday morning?" Naruto's blue eyes fell on Sasuke curiously. Sasuke grunted in reply. That was all the confirmation the boisterous blonde needed. "Hey!" He called suddenly, bounding away from the group and toward the girl. He wasn't alone. Suddenly, Sakura found herself detached from an uncharacteristically surprised Sasuke and lead by Ino toward the mystery girl.

It took a moment for the girl to realize Naruto was yelling at her. She lifted her head from her book and gentle purple eyes observed them, curious and cautious. Tentatively, she waved at Naruto and her lips curved into a small smile seeing her and Ino close behind. "Hello," She greeted, far calmer than the two blondes set on discovering her identity. "Can I help you?"

Wow… Sakura couldn't help but stare. She couldn't tell from so far away before, but up close she noticed just how pretty this girl was. Her symmetrical, heart shaped face was smooth and pale as porcelain. It contrasted beautifully with her straight dark hair, which Sakura noticed was long enough to brush her hips when she stood to greet them. The way the light caught her eyes gave them a unique, amethyst tint she'd never seen before. She was short, maybe no more than five foot two, if Sakura guessed correctly, slim and athletic.

Naruto jabbed a thumb at his chest. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto. And my friends," He paused, glancing over his shoulder to see where they were. "Yamanaka Ino."

Ino grinned and waved. "Hi! Nice to meet you."

"And Haruno Sakura." Sakura waved and smiled, greeting her the same as Ino at Naruto's introduction.

Clasping her book between her hands in front of her, the young girl bowed. "I'm Kage Kokoro. It's a pleasure to meet you all."

When she stood, Sakura noticed Kokoro's eyes flicker toward her, but before she could discern what her expression meant, Ino had jumped in and stole her attention away. "Well, Kokoro-chan," Ino began, "we heard you just transferred back to the area and wanted to invite you to have lunch with us."

Kokoro looked surprised. "Oh, really?" Her eyes flickered past them. Sakura realized she had glanced at Sasuke, who remained waiting in the distance. There was a moment of hesitation before she grabbed her bag off the ground and nodded. "Sure, that sounds nice."

"Awesome!" Naruto pumped his fist in the air excitedly. "Come on!" He started running back toward Sasuke.

At the top of the hill Sasuke and Kokoro's eyes met. Sakura wondered if she had just imagined that the pause between them was as long and tense as it seemed before Kokoro smiled. "Hi, Sasuke-kun."

"Ko-chan." His greeting surprised Sakura. She had never heard Sasuke use a nickname with someone before, but she seemed to be the only one to notice.

The small group of friends took their usual seat beneath the cherry blossom tree in the school yard.

Sakura sat beside Sasuke, feeling unusually quiet as she pulled out her bento and handed Sasuke his. For once, she wasn't quite sure what to say. Ino sat beside her, and Naruto plopped down on Sasuke's other side leaving the spot between him and Ino open. Kokoro knelt there and opened a beautiful homemade bento.

Within seconds, Naruto was hovering over her shoulder with vulture eyes. "Did you make that?!" She had a colorful assortment of diced chicken over rice with a tangy looking sauce, rolled egg, and vegetables.

"No, my mother makes our lunches," Kokoro replied. She pushed the box toward him. "Want to try?"

"Eh?!" Naruto jumped, looking between her and the box. "I can?"

"Sure."

Never one to turn down a free sample, Naruto plucked a rolled egg from her lunch and popped it into his mouth. "It's good!"

No surprise there, Sakura thought. It looked delicious! A small part of her took pride in the fact that she cooked and made all of their lunches herself and they always came out good.

"You said 'our'?" Ino asked. She opened a container of salad and drizzled a light balsamic dressing on top. "Do you have siblings?"

"Two brothers," Kokoro nodded.

Oh boy. Sakura knew what was coming next when she saw the spark in Ino's eyes.

"Older?!" Ino hoped. When Kokoro confirmed that one of her brothers was indeed older, Ino couldn't help but ask, "is he hot?" with a sly look, making Kokoro laugh.

"I guess." Kokoro pulled out her phone and started looking for something on it. She turned the screen so Ino could see it. Sakura peeked curiously over her shoulder and felt her cheeks turn a little pink. The man was clearly related. His face was flawlessly handsome, framed by the same dark hair and sharp almond eyes. His lips were curved in a devious smirk that could stop a woman's heart. She couldn't see the rest of his body past his shoulders and the muscular arm he was leaning against, but her imagination filled in the rest. "He looks nice, but he's got a crap personality."

Ino snatched her phone to get a closer look. Sakura could practically see the hearts bursting forth from her eyes. "On a man this fine he doesn't need to have good personality!" Ino mumbled a few incoherent words to herself before handing Kokoro her phone back. "How old is he and is he single?"

"Ino!" Sakura hissed, swatting at her friend. They barely even knew the girl they were supposed to be trying to make friends with and she was already trying to jump on her brother she never even met yet! Talk about embarrassing.

Kokoro didn't seem bothered. In fact she almost looked amused. "He's 27 and yes, he's single."

Ino hummed happily to herself. She muttered to Sakura, "nine years isn't that bad of a gap."

Once again, Sakura rolled her eyes and chose to ignore her best friend. Time to change the subject and get to know the girl sitting beside them, not her brother. "Ignore her, please," Sakura tried to apologize for her friend's behavior while ignoring Naruto muttering that 'looks aren't everything' rather bitterly under his breath.

The rest of lunch passed with them asking Kokoro some basic questions about herself and telling her a little about all of them. They learned that she had been traveling with her family around Europe the last couple of years, but didn't specify what they had been doing for three years. Sakura couldn't help but feel like she purposefully and tactfully avoided answering some of their questions directly. During that time she was home schooled since it was easier than constantly switching schools. Her other brother was almost ten years younger than them. Sakura found the large gap in their ages surprising since most siblings were usually around 2-5 years apart. They learned that she was athletic, which Sakura already guessed from the muscle tone in her arms and legs, and that she knew how to play piano and sing, though she refused to give them a sample of her voice when Naruto asked saying it was too embarrassing.

Overall, Sakura's impression of her was that she was a very sweet girl. Nice, good sense of humor, and polite. Lunch ended too soon. They invited her to have lunch with them again tomorrow before they all split to return to their class. Sakura walked between Naruto and Sasuke. Naruto was chipper as usual, but Sasuke seemed to fall back into his silent brooding. Sakura realized that Sasuke hadn't said a word all lunch. Since he was normally quiet, she didn't notice right away, but usually he would at least chip in a few times or throw an 'idiot' insult toward Naruto. Aside from greeting Kokoro, he said nothing to her. She was his childhood friend, right? Shouldn't they have more to talk about with her just having returned?

"You're awfully quiet today, Sasuke-kun," Sakura stated casually.

Sasuke glanced at her and shrugged. "Am I?"

"Yeah," Naruto piped up as if just realizing it too, "you didn't say a single thing all lunch. Isn't Kokoro-chan your childhood friend?"

"Yeah, so?" Sasuke didn't seem to see a problem with his behavior that they clearly found odd.

They both blinked at him. "Don't you have anything to say to her? You know, talk and catch up?" Naruto pressed.

Sasuke reached up and rubbed the back of his neck. "Not really." It was then that Sakura noticed the beads wrapped around his wrist for the first time. He never wore that before.

"Where did you get those?" She asked, curiously. She never knew him to wear anything other than maybe a watch on occasion.

Sakura noticed the way his back tensed and his eyes discretely avoided hers. "...Kokoro gave them to me."

A rock dropped in Sakura's stomach. She couldn't say why she suddenly felt her chest tighten or her stomach turn. What? "When?" Sakura found herself asking, uncertain if she really wanted to know the answer.

"Last night."

* * *

 **End Chapter 4**


	5. Dare!

**This chapter took me way longer than I thought it would to complete. Originally, I had a pretty simple idea in mind, and then it just blew into a 7,000 word chapter. Hopefully it's 7,000 words of a good chapter! I have a pretty big direction that I plan to take this story in and I don't want to reveal too much, but if anyone has any questions I'll be happy to answer them! I'm happy that some of my readers from** ** _My Dirty Secret_** **have given this a try and a few of you have reviewed/PM'd me about your interest in this story. I love receiving feedback, guesses as to what's going to happen next, and suggestions for ways I can improve my writing/story!**

 **If you like what you're reading, please drop a review or PM and let me know what you think! I'll try and keep writing on a regular basis to get the next chapter out soon. I think this one just took so long because it took so darn long to end (I also may have gotten distracted by writing a lemon for a future chapter. Whoops. Gotta write when the muse hits, right?).**

 **Without further ado, here is chapter 5! Please enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

 _What happened last night?_

A thousand questions swam around in Sakura's head and remained unanswered as she sat through her remaining classes. Her eyes flickered curiously to Sasuke's back every few minutes. Things weren't adding up and it was beginning to make Sakura feel uncomfortable. Not once in the past several years did Sasuke mention Kokoro to any of them, even as an afterthought. For a close family friend, he didn't seem very excited about her return. In fact, he seemed to be down right avoiding her or any conversations that had to do with her. And yet, he had gone to see her last night and never said a word.

Why? She had given him a gift and he wore it without second thought, so clearly he didn't hate her.

Sakura nibbled on her lower lip. She knew it wasn't any of her business, but after finally meeting Kokoro in person, she wanted to know what the nature of their relationship really was. Nervousness set in her belly. Sakura wondered if she should try asking Sasuke about it after class, but she had a feeling he would just dodge her questions. Again. Just like he kept avoiding any conversation that involved his supposed childhood friend.

The final bell rang and Sakura dragged a hand through her soft pink hair. "You're being stupid, Sakura," she muttered to herself as she grabbed her things and got up to leave the classroom. She had no reason to doubt Sasuke's faithfulness to her; he wasn't that kind of guy to use someone or go behind their back. Yet, despite knowing that…she couldn't understand why he would hide anything from her.

Sakura walked to her locker in a haze of thoughts, debating if she should bring it up or not. She saw Naruto chatting Sasuke's ear off at their lockers. He seemed to be behaving normal now. Sakura furrowed her brow, wondering if anyone else thought something weird was going on… Maybe she was the only one reading into something that wasn't actually there?

She watched as Sasuke took a swat at Naruto's head for something he did or said. The blonde ducked, laughing in good spirits, and she saw Sasuke's lips pull into an amused smirk. Sasuke rolled his eyes, then paused catching sight of her. He motioned for her to come over.

"Sakura, come on. I'm free tonight, so I'll walk you home."

A light blush covered Sakura's cheeks. Despite her earlier suspicions, her heart skipped a beat like it always did when Sasuke did couples things with her. Unable to deny her happiness at hearing his offer, a smile lit her face. "Sure!" She chirped. She skipped over and slipped her arm around Sasuke's, holding him close to her chest. _That's right. You're just being silly_ , Sakura told herself.

Naruto walked with them to the school gates, then went straight while they took a left. Sakura leaned her head against Saskue's shoulder as they walked. Her house was only about a mile from the school, so it wouldn't take them long to reach it. A relaxing silence settled between them and Sakura wondered if she dared to break it. If she was going to ask him, now was the chance. Perhaps he would be more open to talking now that they were alone.

"Hey, Sasuke?" Sakura asked, tipping her head up to look at him. He looked to be in a good mood now. The tension she felt earlier was gone. "I was wondering… Well…" Sakura paused, the words sticking to the roof of her mouth. Her tongue felt heavy and all the questions she wanted to ask were stuck behind her lips.

"Hm?" Sasuke asked, looking down at her curiously when she didn't continue. "Whats wrong?"

"Nothing," Sakura replied quickly, unable to bring herself to voice her concerns. "It's nothing."

Sasuke arched a brow, confused by her sudden change of mind, but didn't press any further. "Okay then?" A moment later, Sasuke pulled his arm from hers and surprised her by taking her hand instead. He laced their fingers and brought her hand up, placing a gentle kiss on the back of her hand. "If something is troubling you, you can let me know anytime, okay?"

How - how sweet! Sakura flushed pink at the unexpected action. Sasuke was never the overly affectionate type, so he had a way of catching her off guard and making her heart race. Her stomach flipped in a good way this time, banishing some of her insecurities away. "Thank you," she gave his hand a little squeeze. "I'm okay, really!"

"Okay," Sasuke replied.

—-

Sasuke walked Sakura to her door step. Before she went inside, he tipped her chin up and gave her a soft kiss on the lips, smirking at the way her face turned a darker shade of pink than her hair. "Good night, Sakura," Sasuke said, letting go of her.

Sakura nodded her head all too excitedly. She bid him good night before she retreated inside her house, looking the happiest he'd seen her all day. Sasuke waited until he had rounded the corner and was out of sight before he let out an exasperated sigh. This was rapidly growing more and more complicated. Kokoro had asked him to give her a couple days to process everything, so he tried to keep his distance, but his nosey friends just had to butt their way in and make things more awkward. And to make it even worse, Sakura was suspicious now! Kokoro had always been better than him at hiding her emotions. He was good at not talking about it, but she was good at making people believe there was nothing wrong in the first place.

Thankfully, that walk home seemed to be the right thing to do to alleviate some of Sakura's worries. He knew he should have told Sakura the truth, but after having set things straight with Kokoro, was there really any need to? He was allowed to have his past; Sakura didn't need to be troubled by that. There was no reason he should break two girls hearts in the same week. At least, that's what he told himself, but in reality, he knew he was just convincing himself this was the right thing to do because it was easier for him to avoid the drama than to deal with it.

The rest of the week went by a bit better. Ino and Sakura continued to invite Kokoro to lunch with them and proceeded to talk about whatever girly things they felt like. Naturally, she was invited to Ino's party and Sasuke was surprised to find this was actually a great distraction for Sakura. They were so busy discussing party plans that it kept her mind off the fact that he and Kokoro still weren't talking.

Friday came quickly. Sasuke met Sakura after their last class and walked with her to a quiet little cafe called _Le Chat Noir_. He paid for tea and snacks for both of them. Not one for sweets, Sasuke got a couple onigiri, while Sakura got a small strawberry shortcake. He nodded his head, half listening as she babbled on about plans for tomorrow, his mind on nothing in particular until he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Sasuke agreed to pick her up at six tomorrow night to go to Ino's together. Sakura fell silent as she took a few bites of her pastry. Sasuke used that moment to check his phone quickly and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Who is it?"

Sasuke glanced up, halfway through typing his reply. He wasn't as discrete as he thought he was. "Oh, no one. Just Kokoro…" Sasuke quickly hit the little 'send' button on his reply and tucked his phone away. Sakura's eyes glowed with questions as she swallowed another bite of her cake. There was a slight frown in the corner of her lips and Sasuke wondered if he upset her.

"Kokoro is someone. She's our friend," Sakura scolded him. Suddenly her fork was pointed at him. "And yours, too, unless there's something you're not telling me."

Sasuke blinked, not quite sure what to say. Why would she say something like that…unless she really did suspect that there was something between them? She didn't, did she? "I…" Sasuke hesitated, trying to quickly regain his composure at being caught off guard. What was he supposed to say here?

Luckily, Sakura saved him from replying. She laughed softly and waved her hand. "I'm just joking. Don't look so serious," Sakura said.

Damn it, Sakura! Sasuke let out a breath, seeing the smile on her face. She'd nearly thrown him off his chair with that one, but she wasn't wrong and he was way too uptight over it. "She was just asking me a quick question, thats all," Sasuke clarified, unsure why he felt like he needed to do that in the first place.

Sakura nodded contently, taking a sip of her tea and changed the subject. "So, what color are you wearing tomorrow?" She quizzed him.

Sasuke wasn't sure he liked this new topic any better. Somehow, he felt like he was being tested on something she'd told him this less than five minutes ago. "Um…Red?"

"Green," Sakura deadpanned.

—-

Kokoro answered the door when Sasuke arrived. Rather than letting him in, she closed the door behind her and led him to the pond in the back yard. She sat beside the water, wearing a dark blue sweatshirt and a pair of bluejeans shorts. Her hair was pulled back into a long braid and her head tipped toward the sky. The full moon reflected in her amethyst irises and its rays glistened off her milky white skin. Sasuke was almost afraid to sit next to her, but he did, placing himself a safe three feet away from her.

"So," Sasuke finally broke the long silence. It strangely wasn't awkward, but he was curious as to why she asked to meet with him so late. "What did you want to talk about?"

He watched as an unreadable smile stretched over her cheeks, unable to tell if it was happy or sad, but noticed that she didn't once remove her gaze from the stars as she spoke.

"I'm okay now," Kokoro declared. "Thank you, for giving me time to work through my emotions and get my head on straight. I know it's been awkward at school, but I needed that time to let it all…sink in." Kokoro paused, finally dropping her gaze to the water. "Sakura is a nice girl and I decided that I will respect that you're in a relationship with her. If it's not too much, I'd like to be friends with her and you. The others as well."

That was it? She was actually fine with him dating Sakura? Sasuke wasn't sure why he felt just as disappointed as he did relieved. It shouldn't have come as any surprise to him; Kokoro had been getting along well with the group and she wasn't the type to force her will upon anyone, even if a small part of him wished she did say she wasn't giving him up that easily.

But, this made things easier for him now, didn't it? They could stop acting awkward around each other, Sakura wouldn't be suspicious, and he was off the hook about telling her their history. It was a win!

"Of course that's alright," Sasuke replied. Hell, she was already friends with them and he previously told her they could stay friends. His reconfirmation seemed to set her at ease though and her smile became more relaxed.

Kokoro threw her arms out to the side and flopped back in the grass. "Do you have curfew?"

Sasuke shook his head and glanced down, feeling tiny fingers wrap around his wrist. He fell on his back with an 'oof' as Kokoro swiftly tugged his arm out from beneath him and knocked him down beside her. For the next couple hours, the two lay beneath the stars talking about their last several years apart. Sasuke wasn't sure when they'd moved closer together, but somehow Kokoro's head came to rest upon his shoulder while they talked. It was nearing one in the morning when he told her the story of when Naruto actually managed to glue Mitsuki-sensei to his chair.

"…no one actually expected it to work. Mitsuki went to write the assignment on the board and toppled himself and his bookshelf over when he stood and took the chair with him," Sasuke explained, describing how they all needed to be escorted from the room while the nurse came in with a spare pair of slacks and some scissors to free the distressed teacher. "The dumbass actually tried to blame it on someone else, but it backfired on him and he had detention for a week."

Kokoro fought to keep her laughter down. "That's hilarious. I missed so much! I would have loved to see that."

"I'm sure you will see the next ones," Sasuke said. "Naruto is know to be the class clown. He attempts at least one prank every few weeks."

Kokoro rolled onto her belly and grinned down at him. "Maybe I should join him in his next prank."

Sasuke arched a brow up at her. "Since when are you a prankster?"

"Being home schooled was so boring," Kokoro shrugged, "I think I'm due for a rebellious streak. What do you think?"

"Not a chance in hell. I forbid it."

"What are you, my father now?"

Sasuke smirked at her. He just couldn't see her pulling a prank on anyone, except maybe her older brother; she was too kind hearted and focused for that.

A loud voice suddenly echoed through the night air making Sasuke nearly jump out of his skin. "Hey, shrimp sauce, it's one in the morning! What the hell are you still doing outside?" Dai's voice echoed through the night air so loud he may as well have been screaming into a megaphone.

Kokoro cussed under her breath, spinning around to look at the upper story window where Dai's silhouette could be seen. "Shut up! People are sleeping," Kokoro yelled back.

 _Not anymore_ , Sasuke thought as the two siblings threw insults at each other.

"Then stop sucking off your boyfriend and get your ass inside."

Even in the dark, Sasuke could see Kokoro's face flare up in embarrassment and anger. He felt his own cheeks heat up as she stumbled over her retort. "What?! Sucking who - no one is - there is no sucking of anything going on! You are such an ass!" She yelled, her voice shrill and final. Sasuke nearly facepalmed; that was not a very good comeback. To make it even better, he saw a light down the hall flicker on - her parents.

"Oh shit. Shit. Sasuke, go. I'll see you tomorrow," Kokoro said. She rushed in giving him a quick hug before scurrying back toward the house.

Not really in the mood to deal with her giant of a father tonight and futilely explain his innocence, Sasuke heeded her advice and took off as quickly as he could.

—-

Ino's house was bigger than Kokoro expected. When she heard that Ino's parents owned their own florist shop, she had envisioned them to live in an cottage-like home with elegant landscaping, but it turned out they lived in a rather modern two story home in a high-class development in downtown Konoha. She was pleased to see that elegant flowers and shrubs lined the house and walkway, fulfilling her image of lush. Several cars lined the U-shaped driveway. Kokoro parked her bike at the very end of the driveway so it would be easier to get out and draw less attention to herself. Her outfit was eye catching enough.

Ino opened the door when she arrived. Her sea green eyes searched Kokoro from head to toe, widening as they went. "Damn girl, you wear leather like a pro."

Kokoro wore a pair of fitted leather pants that tucked into her heeled boots and a black leather jacket that she left open to reveal a fitted long sleeve black crop top. She crowned her head with a braid and left the remainder of her hair down. "Oh, really? Thanks," Kokoro smiled. This was her first party, so she wasn't exactly sure what to wear. She had thought about wearing a dress like Sakura and Ino, but it wouldn't really work with her ride.

Ino wore a flowy light purple romper with a deep V down the front and straps that twisted down the back. "You look great as well," Kokoro complimented as she stepped inside. "Your place is really nice." Ino mentioned that her parents were out of town which is why she was throwing this 'Back to Hell' party to celebrate the first week of the school year. While she admitted she always wanted to be the one to throw a big school bash, she'd been careful with the guest list and only invited people she knew could be trusted not to completely wreck the halls when unsupervised.

Kokoro noticed a couple people from her class, and many more faces from other classes that she didn't recognize at all as Ino gave her a miniature tour of what she needed to know. Bathroom was downstairs and one upstairs (first door on the left), kitchen held all of the food and drinks, and the lounge and living room was where the most people frequented: dancing to music, eating, drinking, flirting, and all around just having fun.

"Kokoro!"

Pink flashed in front of her vision. Sakura grasped her hands with a smile. "You made it!" Kokoro smiled back at her an nodded, complimenting how cute she looked. Sakura's long hair was pulled into a half-up/half-down, with two strands braided and clipped in the back of her head with a cherry blossom pin. She'd curled the ends of her hair into little ringlets that bounced against her shoulders. The short halter dress she wore had an open back and was a light green that contrasted against her hair to bring out the color of her eyes.

"Sasuke and Naruto are in the lounge room with a few others. I'm going help Ino, but you can go in and say hi to everyone," Sakura told her.

"Do you want my help with anything?" Kokoro offered; if something needed to be done she'd be more than happy to take care of it for them!

The two girls exchanged a look. Ino quickly shook her head. "No, no! Don't worry. This is your first party AND your first time as a guest in my house. Go have fun and relax," she said.

Something about her grin made Kokoro question what they were really going to do, but she supposed in the end it wasn't really any of her business either. "Okay then," Kokoro replied. She smiled and waved to the two before back tracking to where Ino pointed the lounge to be.

It wasn't very hard to spot her friends. She noticed Naruto first. His blond head was bobbing up and down as he engaged in some sort of pushing contest with Kiba. Both their hands were locked together, their feet rooted in a deep horse-riding stance. The two bobbed back and forth, pressing their hands together in attempt to knock the other down first.

Hinata sat on a chair, her pointer fingers pressed together by her lips and her opaque eyes locked on Naruto's struggling frame. Kokoro smiled. She only spoke to Hinata once when she joined them for lunch, but she thought the quiet girl was probably the sweetest person she'd ever met. And quite obviously she had a thing for loud, obnoxious blond boys with a short temper.

Kiba dropped his weight back suddenly, causing Naruto to fall forward faster than anticipated. As soon as his balance was off, Kiba shoved his palms to the side and Naruto's footing was lost. He tripped and fell to one knee. "Goddamn it Kiba!" He shouted, slamming his fist on the ground. "One more time!"

"Give it up, loser. That's your third loss in a row."

Kokoro's eyes drifted over to Sasuke. He stood against the wall, a few feet away from where Hinata sat. Tall, brooding, handsome… He wore a black button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, a dark green shirt (to match Sakura, obviously), and a nice pair of dark washed blue-jeans.

"I'll win this time! I figured it out," Naruto insisted.

Kiba snickered, "You mean figured out how to lose?"

"Can I try?" Kokoro stepped forward with her hand raised and a playful grin on her face. It looked like fun!

They all turned their attention on her. Sasuke gave her a small nod of acknowledgement while Naruto chose a more exuberant exclamation of her name. Hintata smiled shyly. Kiba gave her a once over and arched his brow skeptically. "Seriously? You want to take me on? Look…I don't mean to sound rude or anything, but…" He made a hand gesture that was supposed to indicate their difference in height and body weight.

Kokoro shrugged. "I think I can hold my own," she said.

"No way," Kiba laughed.

Smirking, Sasuke crossed his arms and shook his head. "What's the harm in letting her try?" he asked.

Kiba opened his mouth, then thought better and closed it. "Suppose there is no harm. Okay then, shorty, give it your best try. Do you know how to play?"

Shorty? Kokoro twitched, but let it slide. She knew she was short and it was a bit better than her brother's nicknames for her. Kokoro slid into a horse-riding stance and held out her palms. Kiba stepped up, took his own stance, and placed his palms against hers. "Just don't cry when you lose."

Oh please.

Hinata started the countdown, "Three…Two…One…G-go!" her quiet voice exclaimed.

Kiba was definitely bigger than her. He had a lot more body mass and one might argue he had more muscle…but that's not what won this game; it was technique. Kiba pressed forward against her palm. Kokoro kept her muscles relaxed so he had no leverage against her. She gave a little push back. He returned it to her. As he pushed forward again, Kokoro gave him a little resistance, then quickly pressed one palm up and the other down while straightening her knees. The fast, unexpected motion caught Kiba off balance, causing him to rotate and fall flat on his ass.

Kokoro gave Kiba the 'V'ictory sign while he gapped up at her from his position on the floor.

"No way!" Kiba scrambled to his feet once the surprise wore off. "That was - that was cheating - it was cheap!"

"Kiba got beat by a girl!" Naruto hackled, loving every moment of Kiba's defeat. "Not as good as you thought, are you?"

Kiba scoffed, rounding on Naruto and telling how much worse he must be for losing to the guy who lost to a girl. Kokoro slipped past the bickering boys and slid next to Sasuke against the wall. "This is some prime entertainment," She commented. Kiba appeared to now be giving Naruto an involuntary piggy back ride as the blonde attempted to get him in a headlock.

"They make for a good comedy show." Sasuke looked down at her, taking note of her choice of outfit. "Don't tell me you actually got one…"

Kokoro beamed up at him, knowing exactly what he was referring to. When they were younger she'd always told him she was going to ask for a bike for her sixteenth birthday instead of a car. He hadn't necessarily been against it, but he vowed never to get on the back of one with her in control. "I had to wait until we got back before they bought it for me, but yep! Dai got the car, so we agreed to switch if the occasion calls for it."

"Fair enough."

A sharp crash stung Kokoro's ears. They looked to see Kiba flipped Naruto over his back. Misjudging the distance between them and the side table, Naruto's foot hit the table, knocking an ornate dish to the ground. The boys stared at it in horror before they began scrambling to sweep the pieces under Hinata's chair. The sweet girl hissed at them to stop and tell Ino the truth, to which they begged at her feet not to say anything.

—-

"Okay, I think I got this down…" Ino held a stack of dare cards in her hand. She carefully 'shuffled' the cards by cutting the deck in precise spots, flipped five cards and then had Sakura flip the sixth. The pink haired girl read the card, a blush covering her cheeks.

"Are you sure this will work?"

Ino took the card back and reorganized the deck. "Absolutely! It's the perfect plan. Now, all you need to do is make sure you're sitting in the sixth position and Sasuke is to your left." Ino grasped Sakura by the shoulders and winked confidently at her. "Don't worry, girl! Tonight, you and Sasuke are going to level up!"

Sakura placed her palms on Ino's hands and smiled up at her, determination in her green eyes. "Yeah, I'm ready! Lets go."

Ino grabbed the pile of dare cards, put them back into the box, and tucked it beneath one arm. Her other arm looped around Sakura's and together the two girls shuffled out of Ino's room giggling. They made their way back to the lounge where their group of friends were sitting. Sakura let go of Ino as she sprang forward. "Hey! Lets all play a game," she called. Kiba and Naruto both went rigid at the sound of her voice, but simultaneously relaxed when she suggested the game. They were the first to enthusiastically agree to play.

Sakura headed over to Sasuke, surprised to see him talking with Kokoro only. Not just saying hello, but having an actual conversation. Sakura blinked. "Hey," She smiled, walking over. The two stopped whatever conversation they were having and looked at her. Kokoro smiled sweetly and Sasuke nodded. "Sorry that took a while. I was helping Ino find a game to play."

"It's fine," Sasuke said.

"A game?" Kokoro asked, interested. "Well, lets play then." She headed over to the group first while Sakura hung back a moment.

Sakura wrapped an arm around Sasuke's, making sure he was on her left side. "You two are talking now?" Did she miss something since yesterday? This whole week they acted like one another didn't exist, and now they were talking... as easily as she had originally expected them to! Sakura glanced up at him. He looked calm and completely at ease.

"Ah…yeah, of course." As if it was normal.

"Okay," Sakura murmured. She returned her gaze to the group forming. Ino sat at the start of the circle. Beside her was Hinata, followed by Kiba, who, at Ino's command, left enough space for Naruto to squeeze in between them when he returned from running to the bathroom. Kokoro took the spot beside Kiba, so Sakura quickly took the sixth position beside her and pulled Sasuke down next to her. Perfect! All according to plan. Shikamaru was dragged over by Chouji and the two sat to Sasuke's left, completing the circle. Sakura shared a look with Ino from across the circle. Butterflies fluttered anxiously in her stomach as she watched Ino set the game up.

"I'm going to go get a drink while we're waiting for Naruto," Kokoro said. "Do you want anything?" She asked Sakura.

Sakura jumped out of her thoughts. "Oh - well, some punch might be nice actually. Thanks."

Just as Kokoro went to stand, Sasuke stood and told her to stay put. "I'll go get it," he offered. Kokoro thanked him and sat back down beside her. As soon as Sasuke vanished into the kitchen, Naruto chose that moment to return from his bathroom break and plopped himself down in Sasuke's spot.

Sakura rounded on him instantly. "Naruto, that's where Sasuke is sitting! Go sit over there!" She pointed to the empty spot beside Hinata that was meant for him.

"But I'm already here. What's wrong with this spot?" Naruto frowned, leaning back on his hands and making no move to get up. Sakura repeated herself, more firmly this time since Naruto was clearly too much of a knuckle head to get it. Couldn't he see he was ruining everything?!

In the corner of her eye, Sakura saw Sasuke coming back. She shot Naruto a final glare, "Naruto, go!" She hissed. Still, Naruto stubbornly refused, content with his current spot.

Kokoro sighed to her right. "This is silly. Here..." Sakura looked to see Kokoro shoo Kiba over, forcing him to sit beside Hinata. Kokoro then shifted down a spot. "That way he can still sit next to you," she smiled.

It was a sweet thing to do. It really was. But Sakura needed him on her left not her right! Before she could shift closer to Kokoro, Sasuke made it back to them. "Ladies," he greeted, handing them both a cup of punch. He took the seat between them without complaint.

"Thanks," Sakura took her cup and shot a worried glance over to Ino. The blonde saw the whole thing. Her sea green eyes were quick and calculating. There was no way they could move positions around without drawing suspicion, so she shuffled the cards differently and placed the deck on the floor in front of her.

"Okay everyone," Ino took a deep breath. Their gazes met again. The confidence in her eyes earlier was replaced with uncertainty and apology. "Let's play."

—-

Ino started by explaining the rules of the game. It was pretty simple, really. Whoever's turn it is has to draw one card from the dare pile. The player reads the card out loud and completes the dare. There are no switching cards and if anyone back's out of a dare they need to expose an embarrassing secret about themselves. Pretty straight forward. Ino kicked off the game by drawing the first card.

"The person across from you plays the dirtiest song they know. Dance to it for 30 seconds." Ino flipped her blonde ponytail over her shoulder and shrugged. "Not so bad." Since there were only nine of them playing, it was either Sakura or Sasuke that had to give her a song. She picked Sakura.

Sakura searched her phone for a minute, finding a fitting song to play. Ino stood in the middle of the circle as the music to 'Strip That Down' began to play. Ino swayed her hips to the music, running her hands along her sides until the thirty seconds were up. Naruto, Kiba, and Chouji cheered her on in good fun. Sakura stopped the song and Ino sat back down. "Okay, Hinata. You're turn."

Hinata, far more bashful, drew a card. Nervously she read, "Do your best to impersonate the person to your left." Her eyes fell on Kiba. She did her best to act like the wolfish boy by copying the way he sat, with an arm draped over one bent knee and her other arm supporting her weight. Despite some minor stuttering, Hinata strung together a couple Kiba-like sentences that got a laugh out of the group.

The game proceeded for several rounds. Kokoro's first dare was to close her eyes and guess three random objects people put in front of her. Her second was to do a headstand for one minute, which she completed with ease. Everything had been going well until the third round. Kokoro drew her card and the laughter on her face fell immediately as she read what was on the dare.

"Well…what's it say?" Naruto asked impatiently.

Kokoro hesitated. "Is there…any way I can draw again…?" she asked.

Ino laughed. "No way, that ruins the fun. Come on tell us the dare!" The others agreed, urging her to hurry up and keep the game going.

Kokoro pressed her lips tight and looked to the left. Sasuke stared down at her, brow arched in curiosity. Everyone's eyes were on her, including Sakura's. The pinkette smiled at her, "Well? How bad it is?"

The answer to that question depended on whose perspective she was asking it from. Had the circumstances been different, one might consider this to be a great card to draw. Realizing there was no way around it, Kokoro sucked it up and read the card out loud.

"It says..." Maybe once she read it, everyone would veto the card and let her draw again! "Make out with the person to your left for one minute."

Silence.

"What?!" Naruto was the first to break the tense, awkward silence that settled. "Thats totally not fair! Why does Sasuke get to kiss her?"

"Because he's sitting to her left you idiot." Shikamaru, who had hardly spoken except when it was his turn pipped up, looking annoyed by the drama.

Naruto crossed his arms and huffed. "Sasuke's already dating Sakura-chan. So, I think it should skip both of them and jump to me!" Naruto exclaimed. He leaned forward and winked at her. "What do you say, Kokoro-chan?" Hinata's face instantly fell at Naruto's solution though he wasn't paying any attention to notice it.

Uh, how about no. Before she had the chance to refuse, Kiba piped up, "No way! Nice try, loser but the card should reverse so she has to kiss me instead." He lifted her chin with one hand and tried to pass off a seductive smile that she wasn't buying for a second. "What do you say?"

Honestly, she'd rather not.

An arm reached around her shoulders and knocked Kiba's hand away from her face. "Both of you knock it off," Sasuke scolded them. "She's not a toy to fight over." His hand curled around her shoulder and pulled her further away from Kiba. Instinctively, Kokoro began to sink into his touch before remembering she needed to keep her distance and sat back up straight.

"Seriously, you guys are ridiculous," Shikamaru sighed, leaning his face on his palm. "Just make out already so we can move on."

Ino, looking somewhere between scared and frustrated, nodded her head rather stiffly. "Those...are the rules. Kiba...keep the time. They only get 60 seconds." Every word sounded tense and forced. Kokoro didn't miss the way her eyes shot toward Sakura in apology as she spoke. She didn't dare look at her.

"Okay," Kiba sighed, pulling out his phone. Kokoro felt Sasuke stiffen beside her. She suddenly felt very aware of how close they were. "Timer, ready. Get set..."

Kokoro took a deep breath and looked up at Sasuke. It was just a stupid dare. A stupid dare kiss. She'd kissed him a hundred times; it wouldn't be a big deal. The only difference was he had a girlfriend sitting less than a foot away, watching them. Not awkward at all or anything.

"Kiss!"

And they did. Kokoro wasn't sure who initiated the kiss first; all she felt was Sasuke's lips pressed against hers, soft and almost chaste at first. If that had been all they needed to do, maybe it wouldn't have been so bad, but they had a minute and the innocence of their kiss faded quickly.

His lips were warm and welcoming…Instantly, they fell into their old habits. She parted her lips and Sasuke took her invitation. Time seemed to stand still as their tongues battled for dominance. Kokoro grabbed the lapel of his button down shirt with both hands, tugging him closer while one of his hands fisted the hair at the nape of her neck. Their kiss was long and deep, full of unfulfilled passion. A warm, fuzzy feeling settled in the pit of Kokoro's stomach as all her worries just seemed to melt away to nothing. All was right; all was as it should be… A soft moan reverberated in the back of her throat.

She had all but climbed into Sasuke's lap when Kiba stuttered out a quiet, "T-time…Time!" He shouted a bit louder when they didn't seem to hear him the first time. The haze surrounding Kokoro's mind began to clear and she remembered exactly where she was and what she was doing. They didn't break apart immediately. Instead, their kiss slowed. Sasuke held his lips against hers for an extra second before slowly pulling back. His hand fell from behind her head and she dropped her hands into her lap.

Thank goodness Kiba had stopped them. Another couple seconds, and Kokoro feared she may have crawled into Sasuke's lap and pushed him down in front of everyone. That minute was far too long, and yet not nearly long enough to settle the craving flowing through her veins.

"Eh hem!" Sakura cleared her throat, sharp and shrill.

Kokoro jumped in surprise and made the mistake of tearing her eyes away from Sasuke to look at Sakura. Her hands were balled into tight little fists in her lap and her mouth was thin as a straight line. Hurt and confusion was evident in her eyes. Kokoro instantly dropped her gaze, ashamed at herself for getting carried away.

"Are you quite finished now?" Sakura asked, a little snappier than she probably intended.

Kokoro didn't blame her. She'd be pretty pissed off in her shoes too; actually, she was just a couple days ago. She gave a little nod, unable to trust herself with words at the moment. Her fingers shook at the thick, unsettled silence. Sasuke also avoided Sakura's gaze, his eyes looking intently at the floor. He said nothing.

"Damn…that was hot," Kiba finally opened his mouth with probably the least helpful statement of the evening. Ino reached across Hinata and smacked him upside the head. "Ow," Kiba muttered, holding his head. "Well, it's true."

Speaking of temperature, Kokoro felt hot and restless. Passion and guilt swirled inside her, intensified by the glare she felt Sakura give her. No one said anything and perhaps that alone made the air around her feel so much heavier. Before the game continued, Kokoro stood up and excused herself from the circle. "I'm sorry, I'm just going to step outside for a few."

Before anyone could protest, Kokoro retreated from the room and made a beeline for the exit. She threw the front door open and stepped outside, taking a deep breath of fresh air. The air had cooled after the sun went down, and she felt a light draft through the leather of her jacket. Kokoro wrapped her arms around her waist and moved to walk around the side of the house.

Just last night she'd declared she would respect Sasuke's relationship with Sakura, and because of a stupid dare games she'd practically stomped all over her decision. She was supposed to be letting him go, not making out with him. Not losing control over a little kiss! This passion…the desire… she couldn't have it. Kokoro pressed her back against the side of Ino's house and dropped her head into her hands. She had to calm down, suppress these feelings she couldn't have anymore, and regain composure. Most of all…she needed to apologize.

Sighing, Kokoro slapped her cheeks and prepared herself. She was okay now, it was fine, she could do this; she would do this. Just as she turned to go back inside, Kokoro caught the sound of a loud snap from the thin tree line surrounding Ino's property. She whirled around, senses alert. Lack of light made it difficult to see, but she could have sworn she saw a figure move along the trees. "Whose there?!" She called, taking several confident strides forward. The figure froze. Kokoro narrowed her eyes, trying to see better. "Who. is. there?" Kokoro repeated, her hand sliding toward her back pocket and curling around the pocket knife she had tucked away.

The front door opened.

"Kokoro?"

Kokoro glanced behind her at the sound of Sakura's voice.

"What are you doing? We're you talking to someone?"

Kokoro looked back toward the tree line. Whatever that figure was, it was gone now. She bit back a curse and pulled her hand from her pocket. "Oh, no one. I thought I saw something, but it must have just been a squirrel or something."

"Uh huh…" Sakura closed the front door and crossed the yard over to where she stood. She seemed weary, carefully guarding her emotions as she drew closer. "I was hoping to talk to you alone."

Three guesses why. "I'm sorry," Kokoro apologized immediately, already knowing what she wanted to discuss. "I…that never should have happened. Please don't be mad at Sasuke - It's my fault. it was a stupid dare to take part in." She wished she could have apologized better, but she wasn't sure what the right thing to say was.

Apparently, that wasn't what Sakura wanted to hear. Her expression didn't change for the better. "Clearly, you're not as sorry as you'd like me to believe you are, are you?" Sakura accused her.

Kokoro said nothing. Sakura's piercing green stare seemed to see straight into her soul. She already knew the answer to her question. While she felt bad for hurting Sakura's feelings, Kokoro couldn't say that she necessarily regretted the kiss, or that she didn't enjoy it.

"Just what exactly are your feelings for Sasuke?" Sakura asked, straight to the point.

Sasuke really didn't tell her a damn thing about her, did he? He must not have wanted to hurt or worry her. Kokoro swallowed down a throat full of bitterness. If Sakura wasn't going to beat around the bush, neither should she. If she was going to be Sasuke's girlfriend, then that meant she deserved to know the truth, whether Sasuke felt he needed to tell her it or not.

Kokoro spoke the three simple words that would decide the future of their friendship.

"I love him."

* * *

 **End Chapter 5**


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